How to Successfully Declutter with Family

Decluttering with family members can often end in arguments.

If this is a challenge for you and you don’t want to hire a Professional Organiser, here are some tips to help you move forward:

Who could help you instead?

Consider enlisting the help of a friend.  It’s important to find someone you have a strong friendship with and other family members won’t feel ganged up on.  Do you have a mutual friend, who is not overly opinionated?  They need to be supportive and help you stay motivated towards YOUR desired outcome. You could even repay them by doing the same for them.

Do you have a process?

Our Declutter your Life video series will walk you through the process on how to successfully clear and organise the areas.

Emotions

If you argue over whether to keep an item, the chances are only one of you has an emotional attachment to the item and it is not recognised by the other person.  Put it aside to chat about later when you have both calmed down (keep working through the easier stuff). Talk about it, what is the emotional attachment, what are the reasons behind wanting to keep and get rid of the item. Remain open and listen to what the other person is saying.  If you feel too much is being kept and it’s impacting your living situation, consider enlisting assistance from a therapist who can help work through the situation.

Compromise

If you can’t come to a unanimous decision, consider how to get a result without hurting feelings.  One suggestion would be to make a deal that if the item hasn’t been used by a certain date (depending on what it is – 3 months, 6 months or a year), that it will be donated, sold, recycled or thrown.  If the items are small, store them in a sealable container labelled with the date you stored it and the future date you will make your decision on.  If an item gets used, it is returned to its ‘home’. Make a note on your calendar, on the decided date – what action you will take and where the items are stored.

Take a break

Don’t forget to schedule in breaks.  If you start to get tired, don’t keep going, take a break – going for a walk and getting fresh air is a great way to rejuvenate.  Arguments are easily started when one or both of you are tired.

What is it costing you?

If none of the above works, compare how it feels to have an unorganised area against paying to get assistance.  If your thoughts are continuously filled with thinking about the mess, it’s impacting your daily living and you haven’t been able to solve the problem on your own, what are you going to do?  Most Professional Organisers will give you a free initial consultation to discuss your needs, it’s a great way to meet the person and see if they are a good fit for you and your family.

Don’t delay, start today

Sara